This astrolabe was made in Isfahan in 1667. It could have been used in scientific enquiry. It might have served religious purposes, such as telling the times of the five daily prayers or establishing the direction of Mecca. Astrolabes were also used in astrology, for example to cast horoscopes.

For centuries, the astronomers of the Islamic Middle East led the world in their knowledge of the heavens. Astronomical instruments such as globes and astrolabes were produced in large numbers to a very high standard.

Like the celestial globe, the astrolabe was inherited from Greek and Roman astronomy. It shows the relative positions of the sun and stars on a flat surface. The solid plates are engraved for different latitudes. To use the astrolabe, astronomers placed one plate in the casing (mater) under the openwork disc (rete). The rete is a star map with pointers showing the position of the stars. They moved it to the correct position once an observation has been made with the sighting device (alidade).